Wild Flower and She-Hulk
by iapetus999
Summary: In the 5th installment of the Wild Flower Saga, Carly finds herself on a mission in the deep jungle, tracking what turns out to be a Green Monster-She-Hulk. Also a super smart lawyer, Jennifer Walters tries to convince Carly to leave Hydra, but Carly has her mission-and a demon deep inside her waiting to burst out, far more powerful than what She-Hulk could handle.
1. Intro

**Introduction**

Welcome to the 5th installment of the Wild Flower Saga!

For those who need a refresher, Wild Flower is an OC. Born Carly Richards, Wild Flower is the child of Hydra, injected at an early age with the power of The Hydra, with the ability to regenerate anything plant or animal. But when she does, she absorbs some of the power, so when she devastates a forest, she herself becomes a leaf-bearing plant. Hydra has her locked down tight, controlling her for their own purposes.

She longs to be free, to go back to being a teen again, to feel the touch of a boy, but as a hideous forested freak kept hidden in a bunker, her options are limited.

So when a chance comes to conduct a mission on her own, she jumps at it.

Marvel Characters in the story:

The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner

She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _Leaves. Vines. Moss._

Carly sighed. This was her life, more plant than human, some sad experiment of her father's. Of Hydra's. When she'd sucked the life out of her targets, she'd never known she would suck their life force into herself. So, when she destroyed an entire forest, she became one with the vegetation.

Now, Carly couldn't tell where she ended and the plants started. When she lay down, she put out roots. When she was exposed to sun, little flowers grew from her mossy skin. She didn't even need clothes, some cross between Swamp Thing and Cousin It. Her power had a life of its own, and she had to constantly reign it in.

And as Hydra's latest Weapon of Mass Destruction, her duties had multiplied. She was always on a mission, always intimidating some warlord, threatening some small country with destruction of their crops or homes. Never did anything for herself, not even as much as see a movie. And boys? Forget it. Since she'd inadvertently killed Lance, she wasn't contemplating boys. It was too dangerous. Her love was deadly.

But she had to admit, as she huddled in the Venezuelan forest, her body longed for a man's touch, her lips for a kiss, her eyes for a smile. She'd accepted that her life as a simple teen was over. She would never be normal. She'd never go shopping, never go to college. Not that she'd ever thought she'd do that, not as a Hydra agent, or whatever they called themselves now, sworn to the Cause of World Domination. She was Hydra's greatest weapon, and an even greater one lay inside her, waiting to burst out some day, should she die. Which gave her great incentive to avoid anything life-threatening.

Sure, her organization was evil, whatever that meant in today's world. But they accepted her. No—they _used_ her. What did it matter? It wasn't like S.H.I.E.L.D. would roll out the red carpet for a freak of nature. Literally, a freak _made_ of nature. At least Hydra gave her missions. If she was captured, aside from spending time in jail—or worse—for Lance's death, she'd never see the light of day again. So, she had to throw herself in with Hydra.

Not that she didn't have conditions. She would not kill. Not again. Destroy crops, sure. Make trees grow into the sky, whatever. But no harm to people or animals. Not by her touch.

Like that was enough. She'd seen the gory results her "missions." Rooms full of bloody bodies. She told herself that at least she didn't pull the trigger, she just busted the door down. Did that really make her innocent? Hardly. Therefore, every mission, every month, it became harder and harder to drag herself out of bed, ignoring the shouts and threats leveled against her. What could they do? With a flick of finger, she could make their hearts explode. And if they really pushed her, Carly might inadvertently release the monster inside.

At last, she refused. She was done being Wild Flower, Earth Goddess. Anyone even approaching her room was turned back by a wall of thorny brambles. It worked, for a while. Then her father arrived.

"Carly," he'd said over the intercom, as if he hadn't abandoned her as a little girl, letting her think him dead. "I have something for you. It's different. Please. Can we just talk?"

Carly let him through. He couldn't even look at her, with her green skin, jade teeth, mossy hair. Even her eyes looked like a meadow. More like a swamp. She was hideous. "Not interested."

"It's a solo mission. In a jungle. Alone. Just surveillance. No engagement."

Carly propped herself up on an elbow. She'd been begging for this, to prove that she was more than a weapon. "Go on."

"But we'll need something from you first."

Of course. 'The Catch.' She slumped back down, rolled away. "No. I've done enough. I've sacrificed enough. No more deals. No more shuttling in and out of blackened limos and hiding."

"But Carly dear, listen—"

Carly jumped out of bed and stood, her vines forming a train behind her, leaves fluttering. "No, _you_ listen. I'm done. I'm a goddamn goddess and I want people to start treating me that way."

She had no idea where that came from. But too bad. No more getting pushed around. No more laying here watching basic cable and Netflix. She spread her arms, and her vines crawling around the room.

"Yes, yes you are a goddess." Her father visibly swallowed as he eyed her roots and branches. "You and I, we need to stick together. We're family."

"Some family. You only talk to me when you want something from me. And you never asked me if I even wanted these powers."

Dad held up his hands. "Look, we didn't know what the serum would do. We thought it would turn you into the next Steve Rogers. Instead, you're far more than that."

"I'm a freak!"

Carly turned from him, unable to look him in the face. She didn't even believe him. He'd known the serum was faulty. Yet, he gave it to his own daughter.

"It's had unintended consequences—"

She turned back. "No, it didn't. You know it would turn me into some kind of life-stealing demon. Into 'The Hydra.' One that you could control. Well I'm not going to be controlled anymore, and The Hydra is mine."

Carly slumped back onto her bed, arms crossed over the vegetation that covered her breasts. Did he even know that with the barest of thoughts, she could destroy him? She had the power over life itself. A power she'd never asked for. About time that people began to respect that.

"Fine," he breathed. "Do the assignment. Then we'll talk, okay?"

"I want a say," she said, voicing the thoughts that had rumbled in her head for a long time. She forced the words out. "I want a piece of the organization. A command. Nothing big. I've trained all my life for it. I want a rank. I deserve it. I was promised it."

Carly wondered how Dad felt now. He'd come in, hoping to bargain, and now he'd leave knowing he'd better have something big on the table. She tensed, waiting for him to shout her down, tell her how Hydra owned her, that she better do as they say.

"Okay," he said, surprisingly. "We work together, we can go far. I'll pull strings. But Carly, you are going to have to do things for me—"

"No killing. Nothing lethal. Never again. Understood?"

He nodded, the lines on his face deeper than ever. "Yes. But that's something you should keep to yourself."

Now, she huddled in the deep jungle, hot on the trail of some rebels. Hydra hadn't said much about them, only that her mission was to find their secret base and report back. They would take care of the rest. Still morally ambiguous, if the intention was to wipe out the rebels. She's still be an accessory to murder.

So here she was, becoming one with jungle, absorbing its essence until all her vines and leaves matched. She'd simply wandered the forest for a week, her power pulsing with every tree she encountered, close to feeling something akin to joy. The forest was beautiful, the birds cheerful, and she was free. She studied the thousands of plants and flowers, absorbing their essence, feeding them in turn. Sure, they had embedded trackers and communication gear in her skin, but she could easily disable them. And there were the bugs that tried to bore into her or eat her leaves, damn pests. But she had a freedom she hadn't felt in years.

The first voices she'd heard in days echoed through the jungle. She crept closer, every inch of her blending in with her surroundings. She didn't want to spook them. These could be the rebels, and all she had to do was trail them.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The voices grew loud, dissonant. Carly had studied her local lingo, no agent should know any fewer than 4 languages.

"We attack while they are weak," said a large man in fatigues, balding, greasy.

"No," said another, a young man, a gorgeous man, clean-shaven with a strong chin and defiant eyes. "This is not our mission."

The large man laughed. "Your missions. We are men, are we not? We will attack."

"We are not terrorists."

The large man walked up to the defiant one. "We must strike them where they are vulnerable. Send a message"

"I will not allow it. It could ruin everything."

The two men circled each other. The large man struck, clubbing the defiant one with his rifle butt. The young man fell. Carly gasped. The large man kicked his opponent, then waved to the rest of the troops. They loaded up their jeeps and drove off.

Another man had stayed behind and was helping the injured man up. Carly released a breath. She could easily stop those jeeps and make them pay, but like the young man, she insisted on staying on her mission. The injured man fit the general description of who she was looking for, might match some of the blurry images she'd seen.

The stricken man got to his feet. He pushed his fellow away, shaking his head. Blood dripped from his scalp, obscuring his handsome features. He struck out on his own wobbly feet, some manly-pride thing. He checked some instruments to get his bearings, stashed them, then headed straight toward Carly.

Carly froze. She'd gotten too close. The man walked up to her, eyes on the forest floor. Carly looked around. If she moved now, he'd spot her, and then what? She stayed as still as a tree.

The handsome man kept approaching. His fellow called, "Where you going?"

He stopped in front of Carly and spit on the ground. "Where the fuck is she?" He fumbled with his pants, and pulled out his—

"Oh, hell no," cried Carly. "You're not peeing on me!"

Too late. She'd never seen a man run and piss before. She sighed. Mission ruined. And wouldn't Hydra have a laugh when they found out why.

He stopped and turned, quickly zipping up his pants, eyeing. "Pardon, pardon, Green Monster. We did not know it was you. I did not see you there."

Carly withdrew her vines and stepped away from his drippings. "Be more careful."

"My god," said the man's companion. "That is not Green Monster."

Great. Guns whipped out, shouting. "Who are you?"

Carly looked around. The energy of the forest filled her veins. She grabbed the spirit of the countless tendrils around her, ready to strike. "I am called Wild Flower." Her tendrils shot out, wrapped around their weapons, and snatched them away.

The men screamed and turned to run, but her vines tripped them up. She walked over, bent down to the man caught in her grasp. His head wound was deep, and swelling had begun. Eyes were dilated, uneven. He needed a hospital.

Instead, Carly knelt next to him. "The man who hit you. What will he do?"

Her prey was speechless. Carly tightened the vines. "What will he do?"

The man swallowed. "He will destroy the government compound. He is mad. He wants nothing more than destruction. We just want change, fairness. He wants death. He wants to lure the government forces in here to face the Green Monster."

"And what will this Green Monster do?"

"She will tear them apart, limb from limb. Nothing can stop her."

Which was worse, the angry dude who'd clubbed this man or this Green Monster? Carly touched his forehead, letting her healing power close his wound and stop the swelling. Not one bit more than was absolutely needed, she'd learned that the hard way. He had a broken rib and wounded lung. She pressed her hand against his side, healing the rib.

If he was telling the truth, then she needed to meet this so-called Green Monster. Could that be Hydra's interest in all this?

"Take me to the Green Monster," she told them.

They tried to escape but she simply grasped them with her vines. They relented and led her through the woods, among the beautiful birds and moss-covered boles.

The previously wounded introduced himself. "José." He stuck out a hand.

"Carly."

He shook her shrubs. "And you're a superhero."

"Something like that." Super Villain.

"So much fighting here. Are you here to help?"

"I'm here," she said, dumbest thing ever. But he smiled back at her.

"My friends will never believe me. Can you do something, leave something behind so they'll know you were here?"

"Like a crop circle? Or a giant mushroom?"

"Sure."

"How about this?" Carly lifted the man with a vine and deposited him on top of a tree. "How's that? Will they believe you now?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

Oh, the simple mortals. Always asking for a demonstration like Carly was so freak show, like her powers hadn't cost her everything. People assume that all superheroes are like Thor, born into it. Truth was, most of them came into their powers by accident. Or through deliberate acts with unintended consequences. And sometimes through some inexplicable mutation.

Carly wondered if someday she'd forget what it was like to be human, to not have skin that didn't move on its own, to go places without being noticed. Or even sleep in a bed without having to pull out roots every morning.

"Let me down! Come on!"

Carly reached up with vines and carried him to the ground, keeping him wrapped. "Listen, José. I may be a freak, but I'm not a sideshow. Besides, you don't want to see my true power. You wouldn't want what I'd leave behind."

"You talk big, Chica."

Carly could see how brave he was trying to be. Macho. It was cute.

"Take me to this Green Monster. Now."

José struggled, but Carly resisted. He stopped. "Okay. No problem."

Carly let him go.

José dusted himself off, nodded to his friend who just held his hands up whenever Carly eyed him. "This way, Chica."

Carly parted the jungle before them so they could walk without having to swing their machetes and accidently hack her. They came across a clearing that contained smashed jeeps and Humvees, broken equipment, and trees with trunks that looked like they had been punched.

"What happened here?"

"A week ago," said José. "The Green Monster Woman. Someone had stolen supplies from the Clinic. Green Monster no like that."

"Wow." The equipment had been literally ripped apart. Like someone was mad at it. Engines cracked, drive trains thrown around. Bullet casings everywhere. "How many died?"

"Died? Oh, so many. A bath of blood. Men torn limb from limb, bitten in half, stomped like bugs."

"I don't think I like this Green Monster." Had to be why she was here. Find out the Green Monster's secrets, see if she could be recruited. Damn Dad, never telling her the truth about anything.

"But compared to you, Jungle Goddess, this Green Monster like bug, no?"

Carly eyed the wreckage. "She seems pretty strong."

"But you are destroyer of cities."

"I'm just a girl, José. A chica, as you say."

"Sure, Chica."

They traveled down the same road the vehicles had been on. They passed into a ramshackle village, all plywood and corrugated metal shacks. Carly retracted all her vines until she was just a mossy girl. All she needed was one of the villages with a cell or sat phone to call it in, but she heard whispers of "Green Monster" and they kept their distance. Good. Local legend, no one's going to call CNN or S.H.I.E.L.D.

They arrived at a compound with a rifle-bearing guard.

"Chica wants to see the La Abrogada." The girl _lawyer_?

The guard eyed them like he saw green monsters every day. He told them to wait and entered the locked compound. A woman emerged, red hair pulled back into a long ponytail. "This better be good," she said in English. She wore a white lab coat. Glasses dangled at the end of her nose. Mid-thirties, freckles. Smarts. Her eyes went wide when she noticed Carly.

Carly extended a hand dripping with green tendrils. "Carly." She didn't want to use the name 'Wild Flower' unless she had to.

"Jennifer Walters." The woman eyed the hand and gripped it. Firm. "What do want? I'm trying to run a clinic here."

"What kind of clinic?"

The woman sighed, waved Carly through the gate. José excused himself, claiming he needed to deal with something. Carly thanked him and followed the woman. Inside the gate, laying outside but under shade, were dozens of cots. Mostly children, some adults.

"A hospital?"

"Yes," said the woman. "I'm watching this facility for my cousin while he's away. Now, what is your business here?"

One of the kids coughed violently, wiped blood from his mouth.

"Is he going to be okay?" Poor kid looked miserable.

"Without medicine? Hard to say."

"May I?" Carly moved to the boy.

Jennifer put a hand on her chest. "Not so fast, Carly. I'm not unaware of who you are."

Carly frowned. Damn her reputation. "I can help him."

"I'm sure you can. But not in this clinic. Now I'm going to have to insist that you leave."

The boy coughed again, his tiny body spasming. "He needs help!"

Carly moved, but the woman intercepted her. "Wild Flower. Walk away. Please. I can only guess what brought you here, but you really need to leave. You are not welcome."

The boy gasped, unable to draw breath. A doctor called to Jennifer. "We're going to have to intubate."

"We're out of kits," Jennifer called back. "Dammit."

Carly ran a tendril from her foot along the ground, over to the boy. But the woman was sharp.

"Hey! I'm warning you, do not interfere with this clinic."

Carly withdrew the tendril. She pointed a finger at the woman. "If he dies, it's on you."

"If he dies, it's on the government who's trying to destroy region by blocking all shipments of medicine and supplies."

"But he'll still be dead."

The boy was turning blue. The doctor rushed to him, clapped his back, but he was fading. Carly could feel it.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Please, Ms. Walters. I can help. I won't do anything more than is absolutely necessary."

Jennifer looked to her. "Okay, but if anything happens to the boy, beside recovery, you will answer to me."

Carly rushed over and knelt beside the boy, let her creepers find him. She could feel the illness, gripping him with tendrils of death. He had so little strength that she had to find another source, but she could only turn to herself. As she sucked out the disease, she gave a tiny piece of her life force to him. Almost instantly, she started coughing. The illness seized her, forced her to fall over. She clutched her throat, gasped. The world spun and went dark.

Carly awoke in a bed in a strange room. Jennifer Walters hovered over her. "Good. You're awake. May I ask you something?"

Carly drew in a breath. Her lungs were clear again. "Sure. Is the boy okay?"

"He's fine. Thank you. Now. Why are in this jungle?"

Carly looked around. They weren't in the clinic anymore. She'd been moved. She tried to rise, but found herself shackled. There was a S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia on the cuffs.

The woman leaned close. "I know who you are, and who you work for." Jennifer held up an iPad, also with S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia on the cover. "I have satellite internet. Slow, but it works. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to put you on a truck. That truck will take you to S.H.I.E.L.D., and you will answer for your crimes."

Carly closed her eyes. She paid for them, every day that she had to wear a body of vines. But no repentance could make up for what she did. "I don't want to hurt you, but please reconsider."

"I'm sorry. I really don't need you around this jungle right now."

"You owe me. I helped that boy."

"And I appreciate it. And I'll testify to the fact at your trial. But that doesn't make up for everything else you've done."

"I don't need a damn lecture from you."

Carly struggled against her bonds. She could break them in a snap. But she learned a bit about spy craft. Nothing's more dangerous than a prisoner. You think just because you captured them that they can't hurt you. She flopped in mock frustration.

"Fine. You win."

The woman smiled. She pulled out a syringe from a bag, uncapped it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is that?"

"Just something to keep you asleep on the trip. I'm aware of your powers. These bonds wouldn't hold you for long."

The tip of the needle approached Carly's neck. "Don't! You're going to make me angry. You won't like that."

The woman hesitated, chuckled. "I think you stole that line."

The needle plunged into Carly's neck. The world began to swirl.

"Life," she gasped. "I need life." The Hydra inside her awoke, panicked. Her powers reached out, grabbed the life around her, tried to fight the drug. The woman's face grew gaunt, she grabbed her throat, fell to her knees.

"Stop! Stop!" Jennifer held up her hand. She looked at Carly, her eyes suddenly bright green. "Ahhh!"

The drug dissipated. Carly grew her wrists and legs until the bonds snapped.

The doctor's face turned green, her hair transformed into a shock of jade. Muscles bulged across her body.

"Ms. Walters!" Carly rolled off the cot and backed away. A monster formed in front of her, seven feet talk, the lab coat splitting and falling away, the stretchy undergarments the only thing remaining.

The Green Monster screamed, raised its fists, then stared at Carly with red-rimmed eyes of pure hate.

"Shit," said Carly. She backed off, but the monster jumped at her, slammed her right in the face with a fist, driving her through the flimsy wall, right out into the street.

Carly's vines waved like crazy, trying to find purchase in the ground. She spat out a tooth. "Dammit!"

Just as she was about to rise, the monster stomped on her gut, forcing the air out. Carly couldn't breathe. Giant hands found her throat, squeezed her neck. Carly send her own vines to try to strangle the monster, but the beast just ripped them away like they were nothing.

This thing was nothing earthly. The monster's power came from something else, not the same source as Carly's. There was nothing she could do to affect the monster, it was impervious to her powers. No bursting this creature's heart.

It head-butted Carly, then threw her across the street where she collided with a hay cart.

Carly flopped to the ground, rage and anger growing. And pain. That hurt. The Monster jumped to her, but Carly rolled away. The monster roared, beat its chest like a gorilla. It charged. Carly turned to run, but it caught her, grabbed an arm, and tossed her like a doll, right over the houses, and into the edge of the forest.

Finally, Carly was in her element. She slipped further into the jungle. The beast pursued her, jumping clear over the huts to follow her. Carly spread her arms, and vines attacked the monster.

The beast fought with a fury, ripping away the vines, but Carly kept them coming, swirling around her, tying her up as she fought and roared. Carly kept the foliage attacking until the beast was encased in three feet of solid wood, all but her head.

Finally, the Monster relented. She seethed and growled. Carly approached her. "You need to calm down, Ms. Walters."

"She-Hulk no talk to creepy jungle goddess," said the Monster, apparently named She-Hulk.

"I think She-Hulk will. I want to know if you killed those men over to the south."

She-Hulk smiled a toothy grin. "She-Hulk no war on weak. Not worthy. Puny humans flee. Not like you. She-Hulk like fighting Villain. Let She-Hulk go and we fight like Amazons. Let best woman win."

Carly swore that the monster winked at her. "If I let you go, will you promise not to attack me? I swear, I just want to talk."

"Talk, talk. She-Hulk no talk. She-Hulk fight!" She struggled against the wood that strained against the extra-normal musculature.

"And it would be an epic battle. But I suspect I'm not She-Hulk's true enemy. Ms. Walters mentioned an issue with supplies. Do you know about that?"

She-Hulk's brow knit like thinking required supreme effort. "Yes. Too-important men make children suffer. But She-Hulk no can just smash. They hold—what word—prisoners."

"Hostages? You can't attack because they're holding hostages that they'll kill if you try to fight them?"

"She-Hulk just wants smash! Why so wrong?"

"You don't want anyone to die, do you?"

"She-Hulk not like jungle goddess. Jungle Goddess try to kill the Jennifer. She-Hulk respect life."

She looked almost proud. A monster with a code.

"That was an accident. I can't always control my power. Surely, you can understand."

"No control, no use. Simple even to She-Hulk. Now let She-Hulk loose so we can continue smash."

Carly considered, and let the monster loose. She-Hulk brushed the debris off her arms. She crouched to launch, but Carly held up a hand.

"Wait. I don't want to fight. I want to help you."

She-Hulk's laughter filled the forest and scared the birds away. "Goddess of Vines and Creepers offers help. She-Hulk laugh."

Carly approached the giant monster with her hands up. "I just want to make a difference for once. I need to prove to myself that I can do good."

She-hulk grabbed Carly with one massive hand and raised her so she was an inch from She-Hulk's face. "She-Hulk no interested in problems of whiney goddess. She-Hulk need no help. Now She-Hulk tire. You convince The Jennifer, She-Hulk maybe listen. Now go."

She-Hulk reared back and tossed Carly high into the air, above the forest, her feet kicking, her arms flailing. Carly crashed back through the trees, slamming into the ground.

Carly lay there for a minute, regaining her breath and strength, then ran back to where she had tied up the monster, but the monster was gone.


	6. Chapter 5

**Part Five**

That monster—Jennifer Walters—had shaken her. Not just the idea that she'd survived the encounter, but that she'd held her own. Carly pulled herself together, straightened her vines. She passed through the woods until she was back to the clinic. She slid up a tree so she could see over the wall. Jennifer was back, wearing new scrubs, looking over her dwindling supplies, counting every Q-tip and bandage.

She-Hulk had challenged Carly to be better. Even her primitive monster brain had scoffed at Carly's situation. Carly snapped her fingers. "I know what I can do. I'll get those damn supplies for her. Then she'll know I'm serious about being a better person."

Carly spent the night in the jungle, playing with a couple monkeys and a wild dog she encountered. She could just disappear, never have to bother with people again. But she had something to prove. After taking half the next day plus the questioning of a few innocent bystanders, but Carly finally located José and his posse in a watering hole a town over. There was no chance of a subtle approach when you're a walking hedge, so Carly simply strode up and covered the building with vines so no one could escape. She strode into the bar, pushing the vines aside, and faced a dozen guns and knives facing her. Looked like José had patched things up with the man who had struck him; the fellow slumped in the corner, holding his own bleeding head. Carly felt no inclination to heal him.

José held his hand up to his reunited fellows. No question who was in charge now. "Let me guess. None of these weapons can hurt you."

Of course they could. No one likes to be shot. Blow her head off, and something terrible would emerge. She held up her hands. "I just want to talk. Truce?"

José waved his men down. "What?" He led her to a corner. They sat in a booth.

"I talked to that woman. And…um…her friend. The Green Monster."

"You saw the Green Monster? What happened?"

"Oh, just the usual. She hit me, I hit her. Strong words were exchanged. For a monster, she's unusually perceptive. And wicked strong." A monster who could also throw biting insults was rare.

"But you survived."

"I'm a Bad Guy. We're hard to kill. But that's not want to talk about. The Clinic, they need supplies. We're going to get them. I need men and trucks."

José smiled. "Oh sure, Chica Verde. Please, include us hombres in your superbeing games. I'm sure none will get hurt."

Carly slumped. "There are kids literally dying in the clinic that could be easily treated. I could call my own organization for a drop, but that comes with so many strings your head would spin. Besides, I hear there are hostages."

José shook his head. "You are worse than that man over there who kicked me. You take from them, they take from us, you leave, we die. Please, Chica. We don't need help. Now, go, let us enjoy our cervezas in peace."

Carly eyed the drinks. "Beer?" Damn she could use one after her encounter with She-Hulk. "You mind setting me up?" Maybe a couple beers might get José in a fighting mood.

"Chica wants a drink with José? Coming right up."

He waved to the barkeep and soon provided her with a cold one. All the eyes in the bar were on her.

He eyed her as she took a sip. Cold and smooth. "Be right back," said José. Carly sipped her beer, tried to smile at the patrons. He returned with a straw hat and a local woven smock. "Maybe less conspicuous."

She placed the hat on her head, but her tendrils began slipping through the straw until the hat was part of her head. The smock didn't fare much better.

"Oh, Chica. You have a disease."

"I'm a living vegetable," she said. José smiled at her.

"That abrogada, she has a disease, too. She has a cousin, he's trying to help her. Maybe he can help you. And your story? Where you get this disease?"

Carly took another swallow. "They were trying to make another Captain America. It didn't work. Well, it worked, but with side effects." Her plant hand grew some roots into her glass and sucked down the rest of her beer. "Oh, come on." She wiped her naughty hand on her vine-infested smock.

José rose, took her glass to the bar, had it refilled, and returned it to her full. "Why do wish to help this woman? Help us? Guilt?"

Carly sipped the beer, keeping her thirsty fingers away from the rim. She caught some tendrils sneaking under the floor of the bar, seeking the tap, and forced them to return. Frustrated, they began sniffing around José's legs. "I never miss an opportunity to do good. But most of the time, it goes really bad."

José caught the tendrils against his leg. "What is this? Are you picking my pockets?"

"No, I—" Carly closed her eyes and swallowed. She knew why the tendrils were crawling to him, what had been on her mind since she first laid eyes on the gorgeous man. She beckoned José closer and whispered in his ear. "I haven't had sex since I became a walking forest. And I'm horny as hell."

Carly leaned back, biting her lip, trying to look anywhere but in José's face, afraid of seeing the revulsion he must have for her. Finally, she looked at him. He was still wide-eyed.

"Chi-ca Ver-de! Your tendrils, so naughty."

She shrugged, then sucked down half her beer.

José looked around. "Is it even safe?"

"We'd use protection."

"I mean—" he waved a hand to her vegetation.

"I don't even know. All I know is that I'm kept all alone, I can't even talk to people, and I have no friends."

José eyed her. He slapped the table. "Yes. We shall do it." He waved for more beer.

"I thought we could—" Carly nodded toward the door, not willing for the moment to pass.

"Ah. Chica want José now." He looked around. "Okay. I know a place nearby. Come. You, you, stay here and watch him." He took her hand and led her out of the tavern. They walked down the street, a hundred eyes staring at them.

José led her into a barn, shut the door behind them. He pushed her against the wall, his hands ripping away the smock, his lips finding hers. She pulled off his shirt, unbuckled his belt, heat racing through her, desire pulsing her leaves. Her fingers gripped his muscles, her hands ran along his back.

When his pants dropped, she wasn't disappointed in what she saw.

"Oh, Chica," he said. He moved down from her mouth to her throat, but then struggled to find her breasts.

"They're there." She tried to help push vines around. His lips found a nipple and she gasped. She wanted him so badly she was ready to explode. She held him to her body, her vines wrapping around him.

"Whoa, whoa," he said.

"Sorry, sorry. Please, José, don't stop."

He went lower. She moaned in anticipation. He hands moved down below. "Chica, where is it?"

"Oh, keep searching."

"Ow!" He took his hand out. "There's thorns in there." A drop of blood was on a finger.

"No, no, it's fine." Carly reached down, encountered a thicket. "Dammit. Come on."

"I don't think your body wants this," he said.

"It does! It does! I can just rearrange." She pushed the hedges around. "There. Just, get in fast."

José tried to put a hand between her legs, but vines wrapped it. "No, Chica. There is no way in."

"Dammit! Wait, let me just turn around."

"No, no. This is too weird." José backed off.

"José, please." Carly collapsed on her butt. "I can control it."

"I no think you can. I think it controls you."

Carly pounded the hay with fists, fighting the tears of utter frustration.

José knelt next to her, reaching for his patch. "I think what Chica needs is man who will take it slow. What they say? Committed relationship. Love. Not quick roll in the hay."

Carly sniffled. "Thanks, José, for trying to sleep with a pathetic monster girl."

José pulled on his pants, and then sat down next to her. "You'll find the right man. Someone with super power maybe. Then, when you're more comfortable with your sexuality and understand your body, it might be easier to engage in meaningless, unfulfilling encounters."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, José."

"Or perhaps you prefer the girls?"

"No, I'm very happy with the…how do you say…penis."

"Ah. Say. Would Chica be happy if I helped get those supplies for the clinic?"

"You would do that?"

José nodded. "I feel sorry for pathetic monster girl."

"Join the crowd. But thank you." Carly rearranged her flowers and vines, creating some semblance of order. José was right. It would take a man of infinite patience to be with a woman of her special…qualities. But it did hearten her that he gave it a try. Maybe her future wasn't completely bleak.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

José and his posse crept behind Carly. Low white structures squatted in a wide valley. Heavy clouds dripped rain on them, pattering against Carly's leaves. Part of the compound was fenced off with barbed wire. Behind the fence moped a number of soaked locals.

"The hostages?"

José nodded. He put a scope to his eyes. "Sí."

They had hidden vehicles some distance back. They'd have to get the hostages across the open fields, not to mention the boxes of supplies for the clinic. A couple rebels against a fortified compound wasn't great odds. Carly wondered if it wouldn't just be easier to call in a drop at this point.

"Sure Dad, send me supplies, I'll just do whatever the next shitty mission is," she said in English. "No thanks."

"What?"

"Nada."

A commotion erupted behind them. "Hey! Hey!"

A woman in a business suit stood there, hands up.

"Jennifer Walters?"

The woman nodded. "I heard what you were planning. I felt that I should do what I can to avert complete disaster."

"And then take me into S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Jennifer walked up to Carly, hands still up. "I've been known to make certain … arrangements. S.H.I.E.L.D. is full of agents with checkered pasts. There might be a place for you. We can help you learn to control your power. But there has to be a certain level of trust. I need to know why you're really here. And it's not to help my cousin's clinic."

Carly's mouth went dry. She closed her eyes. "I left my organization, it would have to be on my own terms. And the last thing I would do is betray them. What kind of agent would I be if I betray my kind every time a better offer comes along?"

Jennifer eyed her. "That's very admirable. However, I can't help you if you don't play ball. You have to give me something."

"Come on, Abrogada," said José. "Can't you see Chica Verde is a confused young woman? Beset by powers she can barely control, called upon by evil forces to do their bidding?"

Jennifer stepped to José. "Why are you farting around in this jungle, José? You've got a good head on you."

"Whoa. I thought this was about her, not me."

Jennifer nodded. "I'll talk with you later." She turned back to Carly. "What's it going to be?"

"I'll respectfully decline. I'm in too deep. But, if it's possible, I'd love to change the organization from the inside."

"Have you ever bitten into a tomato that looked fine on the outside but was rotten on the inside?"

Carly lifted a hand and produced a succulent tomato. "Mine are always perfect." She handed it to José who took a bite, agreeing.

"What I'm saying is that you can't put a good face on Hydra. Its core is rotten. Any good you do will be tainted. Besides, to rise in its ranks, you're going to have to do evil things. You're not going to be able to pick and choose. Every day you're in there, you just get deeper. I'm giving you an opportunity to get out now. We'll help you master your powers. We'll help you grow. S.H.I.E.L.D. could be your new home. We could be your new family."

Carly turned away. Jennifer was saying everything Carly wanted to hear. Was begging to hear. Was dying to hear. Her leaves rustled in the breeze. Distant thunder echoed. She was about to answer when a sound tickled her ear, a high whining. A jet was approaching, low to the ground. It zoomed overhead, and a single figure jumped out. A green figure.

Carly whipped around. Jennifer Walters was gone. She-Hulk stood in her place, outfit in tatters.

"Come on," said She-Hulk. "Are we going to let my cousin have all the fun?" She stepped up to Carly. "What? You thought that I was some simple monster? I'm still me. Only my cousin has that dual-personality issue. I'm just big and green."

Carly couldn't speak.

"Fine," said Jennifer, her monster eyes rolling. "She-Hulk ask, what is plan?"

Carly's mouth opened. "José and I rescue the hostages. The rest go for the supplies. You go with them, you know what you need. We rendezvous a klik back that way. But what about the Big Guy?"

"Hulk smash! Now let's go."

They ran to the buildings. Gunfire sounded, followed by bodies flying through the air. José led her over to the fences. "We must free them."

"Leave it to me." Carly closed her eyes. Her powers went out to the grasses around the fences, got them to grow, up through the fences, over the barbed wire, then turned thick, snapping the wires, pulling the fences up above the ground, leaving gaps down below. José waved the hostages out. Gunfire shot at them, and Carly raised a hedge to block it, creating a relatively safe passage for the escapees.

One was struggling, stumbling, an old man. Carly ran to help him, but a blur of green jumped past. The Hulk picked up the man like he was a frog. Carly stopped before the monster. As big as a house, fingers the size of her arms, arms the size of small cars. He eyed her, hate roiling his eyes. She hoped the rain hid that she might have peed herself a little bit.

Hulk smiled. "Little plant girl make Hulk laugh." He picked her up in his massive hand as big as a couch. "No roots. Funny."

Gunfire slammed him in the back, making him crouch. "Oh no, soldiers did not." He set them down, tapped Carly on the head with one giant baseball-bat finger that nearly brained her. "Ha ha. Plant girl." He then bounded away, flying through the sky to smash the next thing.

"My name's Wild Flower," she yelled at the retreating back. "Dammit." She caught the old man's hand and guided him back to safety while green monsters fought the enemy forces and José's men covered their retreat.

They got the escapees loaded onto buses and José drove them away, leaving Carly alone. She was about to head back into the fight when She-Hulk arrived and started to direct supplies onto trucks. All loaded. "Carly, you ride with my cousin."

A smallish man walked up to Carly, wearing a long jacket over stretchy undershorts. "Hi," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Bruce Banner."


	8. Chapter 7

**Part Seven**

"Carly Richards." Carly took Bruce's hand. "I mean, Wild Flower."

They climbed up into the cabin of their truck, Bruce driving. "Is your head okay?"

"My head?"

"Yeah. I heard the Big Guy gave you a thump."

"Oh, that? It was nothing. He thought I was amusing for some reason. He was just messing."

"Ah. He's usually pretty humorless." Bruce started the truck and they followed the others.

"Well, it wasn't exactly flattering. Being laughed at by a monster. Again. It's not like I can turn this off like he can."

"Would you like to?"

"Right."

Bruce eyed her. "I can take a few samples. Least I can do for the support you gave today. Send you an analysis in a few weeks. If not a cure, at least you'll know what you're facing."

"Thanks, but no. I can't just hand S.H.I.E.L.D. my secrets. But I really appreciate the offer."

"Well, if I were to receive some samples by private post, I might be able to analyze them without sharing. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. I just want to help, not steal your secrets. I have plenty of my own to worry about. That's why we're down here, off-grid. Easier to keep what we find to ourselves."

He looked sincere. Carly nodded. "I'll consider it. But I'll have to leave as soon as we unload the supplies."

They all sounded so helpful, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was just as much a trap as where she was now, if not more so. They'd poke and prod her to death. And people died on their missions, too. How many soldiers did they leave lying in the dirt back there? Their hands were just as dirty as anyone's.

They arrived back in the village. The escapees had tearful reunions with their relatives. The supplies more than stocked the shelves of Bruce's clinic.

Jennifer approached, back as herself, in a new business suit. "Well, thanks for everything. Your heart's in the right place. Just keep working on it, and I think you'll find your path."

They hugged.

"But Carly. If I ever see you again, I will turn you in. And I won't go easy on you next time."

Carly nodded. "If you ever see me again, it will either be because I'm going to kill you, or that I'm in desperate need of help."

"How will I know the difference?"

"Because you _really_ won't like me when I'm angry."

Jennifer laughed. Carly checked on the children one last time, letting them play with the stray mutt she'd found in the forest, but then left the clinic, her heart heavy and uncertain.

José caught up with Carly. "Come. Let's talk." He led her down the street to a nondescript shed but pulled back a piece of plywood to reveal a trap door. He led her down, and she stood squarely in the center of a tiny Hydra base.

"You did very well, Chica," he said. "It was a great pleasure working with you, and you handled those Hulk cousins brilliantly. Now they trust me fully, and they think you're halfway to defecting to S.H.I.E.L.D. Go ahead and give those samples to Banner, we'd love to see his analysis. It will ingratiate you with them even further. And Chica."

He strode forward, took her hands. "If you ever do want to take it slow, we'll find a hotel, somewhere remote and discreet, and take all the time you need."

Carly nodded, then planted a kiss on his lips. They embraced.

He whispered in her ear, "Hail Hydra."

"Hail Hydra," she responded, her heart screaming.

She was never going find a way out.

The End

* * *

The Wild Flower Saga will continue! Any comments help immensely!


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